Firewall Configuration Review
Overly complex rulesets and misconfigured zones erode your firewall’s protection over time. We review your policies to ensure they are doing their job.
Overview
Firewall Configuration Review A firewall configuration review is a detailed assessment of how your organisation’s firewalls are set up and whether they are effectively protecting your network. Firewalls are a core part of your perimeter defence but if they are misconfigured they can introduce significant risks. This review helps ensure that your firewalls are properly aligned with security best practice and tailored to your business needs. Whether you are using traditional on premise appliances, next generation firewalls or cloud based solutions the aim is to validate that access controls are correctly enforced and that your rulesets are not leaving you unnecessarily exposed.
Why It Matters
Firewalls are designed to control and filter traffic between different parts of your network and the internet. However over time rulesets can become overly complex, outdated or poorly documented. This can result in unnecessary open ports, weak access controls or overly permissive rules that attackers can exploit. A misconfigured firewall can allow malicious traffic into your network or accidentally expose internal systems to the public. Regular reviews are essential to reduce these risks and ensure that your firewall remains effective as your infrastructure evolves.
In Summary
A firewall configuration review helps you regain control over one of your most important security devices. It ensures that your firewall is not just switched on but is actively protecting your environment in a way that is structured efficient and secure. Whether you have recently deployed a new firewall, inherited an existing setup or simply want to confirm that your perimeter is doing its job this review provides the clarity and assurance you need to move forward with confidence.
Why Organisations Choose This Assessment
Reduce Unnecessary Exposure
Identifies open ports and services that do not need to be accessible and helps you tighten your perimeter
Strengthen Access Controls
Verifies that only authorised users and systems can communicate across network boundaries
Support Compliance and Audit Readiness
Helps meet the requirements of standards such as ISO 27001, Cyber Essentials, PCI DSS and others that mandate secure network configuration
Increase Operational Confidence
Gives your IT team a clearer understanding of what is allowed through the firewall and why reducing the chance of accidental misconfiguration
What the Assessment Involves
The review begins with an analysis of the firewall’s configuration including rules, interfaces, zones, NAT policies and logging. This may be carried out by reviewing backup configuration files or through read only access to the firewall’s management interface. Each rule is evaluated for necessity purpose and risk. The review also looks at how the firewall handles inbound and outbound traffic whether logging is enabled and whether default rules have been hardened. The assessment can cover a range of technologies including Cisco, Fortinet, Palo Alto, Check Point, Sophos and cloud based firewalls such as those in AWS and Azure. You will receive a detailed report outlining the findings and practical recommendations for tightening security without disrupting essential services.
At a Glance
Configuration Collection
Rules, interfaces, zones, NAT policies and logging via read-only access.
Rule Set Analysis
Identifying shadow rules, any-any permits, overly broad access and legacy entries.
Zone & Segmentation Review
Verifying traffic between zones is appropriately restricted.
Logging & Alerting
Verifying logging is enabled and alerts are correctly configured.
Reporting
Prioritised findings with practical recommendations.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What does a firewall configuration review cover?
A firewall configuration review examines your firewall rule sets, interface configurations, NAT policies, zone definitions and logging settings. We look for overly permissive rules, legacy entries that are no longer needed, any-to-any policies, missing logging and zones that are not properly segmented. The review is vendor-agnostic and covers technologies including Cisco, Fortinet, Palo Alto, Check Point, Sophos and cloud-based firewalls in AWS and Azure.
How do firewall rule sets become insecure over time?
Firewall rules accumulate over time as new services are added, systems are migrated and staff change. Rules that were added for a specific purpose are often never removed. Over time this creates bloated, complex rule sets that are difficult to understand and easy to misconfigure. Regular reviews remove unnecessary rules, simplify the configuration and ensure that only the right traffic is permitted.
Is firewall review required for PCI DSS compliance?
Yes. PCI DSS Requirement 1 specifically mandates the installation and maintenance of network security controls. This includes documenting firewall configurations, reviewing rule sets at least every six months and ensuring that only necessary traffic is permitted. Our firewall configuration review directly supports these requirements.
Do you need direct access to our firewall?
We can perform the review using exported configuration files, which avoids the need for direct access to your live firewall management interface. Where direct read-only access is preferred we can accommodate this. Either approach provides the same depth of analysis without any risk of disruption to your network.